North America Defence News

Canada; F-18 order is pending U.S. trade ruling

Defence officials and fighter-jet makers have circled a date in late September as the make-or-break moment for the Liberal government's plan to buy interim Super Hornets fighter jets from U.S. firm Boeing. The purchase has been largely in limbo since the Liberals threatened to cancel the planned purchase in May because of Boeing's trade dispute with Canadian aerospace company Bombardier.

Industry sources say there has been no contact between Boeing and the government for several months, and most now believe any purchase will be contingent on what happens on Sept. 25. That is when the U.S. Commerce Department will present the findings of its investigation into whether Bombardier sold its CSeries passenger jets at an unfairly low price with help from federal subsidies.

A guilty finding could result in fines or tariffs being imposed on Bombardier, but could also prompt the Liberal government, which has criticized the investigation, to pull the plug on any deal with Boeing. Some of Boeing's rivals are already positioning themselves to pounce if the government does back away from buying Super Hornets, and begins looking for other options.